Tomato-juice extractor



July 28, 1935. Q L TT 2,048,791

TOMATO JUICE EXTRAGTOR Filed Oct. 2, 1933 ATTORNEYJ.

Patented July 28', 1936 EJNITED STATES PATENT me 2,648,791 'rom'ro-mcamacros.

' Ollie Giliiatt, Washington, Ind, assignor to Vin ccnnes PackingCorporation. Vincennes, Ind.,

a corporation Application October. 2, 1933, Serial No. 691,774 a enm-(ci. 100-48) This invention relates to a device peculiarly adapted tothe separation oftomato juice from beneath and mounted in the bearingsl6 suspendthe pulp or pomace of the tomatoes.-

The chief object of this invention is to provide apparatus whereby partsmay be readily disassembled for cleaning and which have a greaterefllciency than the apparatus set forth in the copending applicationentitled "Process and apparatus for producing tomato produc Serial No.489,332, filed October 1'7, '1930, which is now minating in hopper typeintake -25, cooperates 0 Patent No. 1,989,231, dated January 29, 1935.

The chief feature of the invention consists in the adjustable throatconstruction.

Another feature ofthe invention consists'in the adjustable throatconstruction in combination feed screw associated with a substantiallytubular enveloping screen.

. h wn in elevation and the bearing fertile; T

Preferably the screen is of the general character illustrated anddescribed in the before mentioned copending application.

Other features of the invention will be pointed out more specificallyhereinafter.

The full nature of the invention will-be underbers l2, the wormwheel"l5. Positioned thereingly supported from the members I l is theshaft l9 mounting a worm 18.- One projecting end of the shaft 1 9 mountsa pulley, sprocket, or the like, 20, whereby the device may be driven.

An end plate structure 2 I in combination with a cylindrical portion 22having an opening 23 therein from which projects tubular portion 24terwith the spacing collar 26 suitably supported as at 21 upon the framework to form a receiving chamher for the crushed or torn tomatoes.

Rotatabiy supported in the chamber 28 formed within the aforesaidstructure, is a screw, gen- 15 with a variable pitched conveying andexpressing erally indicated by the numeral 29,.having an end 1 platestructure 30 that is apertured as at 3! and threaded to receiveadriving, collar 32 having asquare or similarly outlined opening 33. The

aperture 33 is adapted to receive the complementarily'formed and Ma ofthe shaft l4, which In this shaft extends through the end plate 2|.manner the feed screw, indicated generally by the numeral 29, is rotatedand may be readily destood from the accompanying drawing and the tachedfrom the drive shaft l4 and pulled from following specification andclaimsa In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of theseparator portion of the tomato product producing machine.

tiie machine at the discharge end. I

Also supported by the collar 26 is one end of -a cylindrical perforatedscreen structure 50,

preferably of slotted character, such as that Fig. 2 is a top plan viewthereoh a portion of specifically disclosed in the before mentionedcoand the feeding screw and the opposite chasm:

struction of the feeding screw, the screwshaft being omitted. v V

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of a portion of the driving end of the screw..f:

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of one form of lock-' ing dog employed formaintainingthe desired adjustment of the adjustable'thi'oatbonstructioni Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a portion of one endsupport for the screen, the latter being shown in section andnon-rotatably associated therewith.

Fig. '1 is a sectional view taken on line L4. of Fig. 6. -i

In the drawing Ill indicates supporting standards in turn supporting aframe structure I I coinprising a pair of parallel members which at oneend are connected by the-transverse supports I! which rotatably supportin the bearings l3 thereof the shaft l4 having the squared end Ma, andupon which is mounted between said mempending application for LettersPatent. This screen is non-cl g ing.

A screen support, indicated generally by the j numeral 34, is providedwith a pair of apertures rods 36 mounting nuts 31.. Each rod fibfispivotally'supported at 38 in the bracket est-sums secured as at 40 tothe frame members ll.

Thescreen is seated in the recessed portion-Bi oi the support member 34and the free end of the screen bears against the shoulder 42. Thus thescreen gs clampingly supported between the collar it and the screensupport member. 'The end of the screen is prevented from pitchingdownwardly by reason of the outwardly projecting portions 44 on thesupport member as andresting upon the frame mem- 35""an'd extendingthrough the same are the 35 To prevent rotation of the screen-see Figs.6

and 'I-lt is provided with at leastone notch in -its end. Preferably twodiametrically positioned notches in each end are provided and areindicated by the numeral II. The screen support at each; end includeslugs I2 herein shown as pins, that extend radially inwardly and arereceived by the notches when the screen is seated. To

vided with a handle 46 whereby the same-may' be readily removed whendesired. The cover together with the structure, hereinafter set forth,

forms a separating chamber. The lower portion of said chamber includes atank like arrangement 41 having inclined bottom 48 inclining downwardlytoward an outlet 49 which may or may not be controlled by a valve notshown. The tank 41 and cover 45 form a separating chamber surroundingthe screen 50. As shown clearly, the screen is substantially cylindricaland open at both ends and as set forth herein before. The feed screw isof substantial uniform diameter throughout its length, except that thespacing, between the portions of uniform diameter, gradually decreasesfrom the inlet end of the machine to the discharge end of the machine,and the root or base diameter of the groovedportion between each uniformdiametered portion is of gradual increasing diameter from the inlet tothe discharge end of themachine. The result is as follows;-

As the material is supplied to the machine, it is conveyed by the feedscrew from the receiving chamber 28 to the separating chambercoextensive therewith and as the pulp is gradually forced toward thedischarge end of the machine which is at the right in Fig. 1, thematerial is gradually compressed within the screen by reason of theincrease in diameter of the central portion of the screw or reduction indepth of the groove before mentioned, and by reason of the decreasejnthe spacing between the threads at successive positions so that the pulpcompresses inits forward travel through the machine. The result is thatthe juice is gradually forced from the pulp and through the screenapertures, and the correspondingly increasing portion of the solids inthe remaining pulp is subjected to greater pressure for further juiceseparation so that by the time the pomace is ready for discharge at thedischarge end of the machine, practically all of the desired juicecontent has been expressed by the feed screw through the screen, leavingonly the pomace or relatively solid material of the tomatoes fordischarge. The discharge end of the machine is provided with anadjustable throat construction for varying the degree of back pressureexerted upon the pomace and thus there is obtained the desired degree ofseparation between the pomacev and the juice. This means for adjustablethroat construction is shown most clearly in Fig. 3 and cooperatingparts thereof are shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 5.

The screen end support member 34 is centrally apertured and the same isthreaded as at Threadedly mounted therein is a throat sleeve 52 which atone end and the outerj'end is-provided with a peripheral series ofspaced notches or recesses 53. The other end of the sleeve is providedwith-an outwardly extending peripheral portion 54 which is provided withthe conical face has detachably associated therewith a throat asof theconical faces 55 and 58 are shown the same.

It will be apparent that as the sleeve throat is rotated or threadedinwardly or outwardly with respect to the screen end support member 534, the. width of the annular channelbetween faces 55 and 58 constitutethe discharge outlet for the pomace is.correspondingly decreased orincreased respectively.

Pivotally supported by the pivot member 60 is a dog 6| which has afinger engageable portion 62 and a locking tooth 63, the latter beingadapted -to seat in anyone of the selected recesses 53 of the adjustablesleeve throat. The member 60 extends through the opening 64 of thelocking dog and is suitably secured to the screen and sup' port member34 and preferably near the upper portion thereof for gravity locking ofthe dog.

The exposed end of the feed screw is suitably apertured and the same isthreaded as at 65 and threadedly mounted therein is a stub shaft 66. Theshaft 56 is rotatably supported in a bearing 51 from which extends apair of diverging arms 68 with inturned ends 69, the latter beingrigidly secured as at 10 to the screen end support member 34.

The resulting construction is such that the free end of the shaft issupported by a detachable bearing which may be readily removed and uponremoval, the nuts 31 may be removed and the entire end support 34 withthe adjustable throat may be axially removed from the machine. Then thescreen may be removed following removal of the feed screw construction.This permits access to be had to the entire interior of the machine forcleaning, it being understood, of course, that the cover 45 has beeninitially removed.

While the invention has been described in great detail in the foregoingspecification, the same is not to be considered as of restrictivecharacter but merely by way of illustration and modifications, whichwill readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in this art, are allconsidered to be within the scope of the invention, reference being hadto the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:- l

1. An adjustable detachable discharge structure for a press having a.rotatable screw, an enveloping straining screen and a supporting frame,including in combination a plurality of an elongated members pivotallysupported upon the frame considerably remotefrom the discharge end ofthe screen, a centrally apertured screen support, supported by the frameand clampingly and detachably associated with the discharge end of thescreenand detachablyassociated with said members, an interlock operativebetween the screen and said support, a tubular throat sleeve adjustablysupported by the screen support and having a tapered inlet, acomplementary tapered end on the screw cooperating with the inlet, latchmeans retaining the throat sleeve in axially adjusted position,- andshaft bearing means for the screw positioned externally of the throatsleeve and independent of the same.

2. A device as defined by claim 1, characterized by the screen supportand throat sleeve having a threaded adjusting connection, said throatsleeve having. a plurality of longitudinally elongated spaced recesseson its periphery, said throat70 sleeve being exposed beyond said supportfor latch seating in an adjacent. recess, said latch means beingsupported by the support on the face opposite the face having the screenengagement therewith. I k

3. A device as defined by claim 1, characterized by said shaft bearingmeans including a c-member rigid with said support, said c-member havingits intermediate portion ofi'set from the support and exposing therecessed end of the throat sleeve between the oflset portion and thesupport.

4. A device as defined by claim 1, characterized by the screen supportand throat sleeve having a threaded adjusting connection, said throatsleeve having a plurality of longitudinally elongated spaced recesses onits periphery, said throat sleeve being exposed beyond said support forlatch seating in an adjacent recess, said latch means being supported bythe support opposite from the screen engagement,' said shaft bearingmeans including a c-member rigid with said support, 5

said .C-member having its intermediate portion oflset from the supportand exposing the recessed end 0! the throat sleeve between the ,ofisetportion and the support.

OLLIE GILLIATT. 10

